Sadly, this isn't an Onion story.
A 9-month-old boy accused of attempted murder in Pakistan appeared in court with his grandfather on Thursday, according to local media reports.
The child and more than two dozen others were accused of throwing rocks with intent to kill police during a raid on a neighborhood in Lahore, the Express Tribune notes. Authorities were reportedly cutting off gas and electricity supplies to the houses of residents who hadn’t paid their bills.
Video footage from the hearing showed the boy being fingerprinted while sitting on his grandfather’s lap. He was then granted interim bail by Judge Rafaqat Ali’s court. The boy is expected to return to court April 12.
Chaudhry Irfan Sadiq, the family's lawyer, told Agence-France Presse the charges should have been dropped immediately, as the minimum age for criminal responsibility in Pakistan is generally 12.
"The court should have simply referred the minor's case to the High Court to drop the charges against the innocent child and acquit him from the case," Sadiq said. "This case also exposes the incompetence of our police force and the way they are operating."
The officer who filed the report against the 9-month-old has since been suspended, reports note.
The boy’s father, who was also arrested, said police made false reports against his son and 25 others. "Our crime is that we had protested against non-availability of electricity in our locality," he told Times Of India.